Abstract
Objective: Diode-assisted laser turbinoplasty is a popular surgical technique that improves airflow during nasal obstruction. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a diode laser for turbinate hypertrophy by using rhinomanometry. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 199 patients for 13 months. Preoperative, intraoperative, and 6-week postoperative rhinomanometry values were measured. Results: The most common intraoperative symptoms were olfactory annoyance (barbecue smell) (76.4%) and a painful burning or stinging sensation (64.3%). The inspiratory and expiratory mean nasal airflow values increased both intraoperatively and postoperatively, illustrating the effect of decongestants and inferior turbinate surgery. Intraoperatively, inspiration improved by 262.73 ± 196.09 (p < 0.01) and expiration by 247.94 ± 180.05 (p < 0.01). Postoperative inspiration improved by 254.03 ± 199.08 (p < 0.01) and expiration by 244.05 ± 194.57 (p < 0.01). Postoperative snoring (22.6%, p = 0.026) and nasal obstruction (20.2%, p = 0.042) were significantly higher in female than in male patients. Conclusions: The therapeutic efficacy of using diode lasers in inferior turbinate resection was established in this study on the basis of rhinomanometric data with a follow-up of 6 weeks. Postoperative nasal obstruction was effectively decreased and the other symptoms displayed a female preponderance.
Highlights
Diode-assisted laser turbinoplasty is a widely used surgical method for improving airflow as a treatment for nasal obstruction [1]
We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a diode laser for turbinate hypertrophy by using rhinomanometry
Patients were excluded from the study if they had a coexisting acute infection, nasal polyps, or atrophic rhinitis, or if they had chronic sinusitis leading to chronic nasal obstruction
Summary
Diode-assisted laser turbinoplasty is a widely used surgical method for improving airflow as a treatment for nasal obstruction [1]. Caused by hypertrophy of the inferior nasal turbinates, nasal obstruction remains one of the most common conditions encountered in rhinology practice. It can be due to mucosal thickening when the submucosal sinusoids dilation occurs, bony hypertrophy or both [2]. Swelling of the mucosa and inferior turbinates, hypertrophy of the nasal turbinates, and inflammation of the submucosal tissue as a result of collagen deposition are the cardinal mechanisms of nasal obstruction [3] [4]. Chronic obstruction with inferior turbinate hypertrophy has been observed in allergic or vasomotor rhinitis and other clinical conditions, leading to difficulty breathing, snoring, and decreased sleep quality [5]. Conservative management encompasses antihistamines, systemic steroids, and hypo-sensitization with specific immunotherapy and the restrictive use of nasal drops [6]
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